The Seeds of Corruption
}} Book Text In times past, when the island was a bastion of knowledge, the seeds of corruption were planted. As the city of seers and scholars rose to greater heights, celestial words were interpreted. The beauty of what was once offered was defiled in erudition. The city fell. The tomb of knowledge passed through the ages, no one to gaze upon the words, defiled or not. The ages lived and died and a once great empire was swallowed by the island, covering much of what was with natural beauty. Then came the castaways. Upon the shores the waves arrived, occasionally bringing gifts to an abandoned isle. Some of these gifts were seeds of new flora while others were creatures lucky enough to survive atop wayward flotsam. The creatures of the gods arrived. Not all creatures are content in sufficient splendor. There are those that desire what is not theirs, a greater power. Paupers strive to be kings and the mouse dreams of being a lion. Such envy was in the heart of the one what would become the matron of corruption. Upon the island a dryad washed ashore atop a kelp raft. With this dryad came the envy of those left behind. Far away, in a forest across the horizon, is where her people dwelt. Within a grove of tranquility the spawn of hatred arose, hatred and greed for power that was not hers. In the tranquil grove one dryad south to claim rule. True it was that this beautiful creature of arcane flora had power, but not the power to rule. Such power was reserved for the seeds of nobility. Here in the grove, this dryad could not rule. The envious dryad departed the grove and journey to the suns slumber began. Beyond the sea was rumored to be an island of secrets, secrets of the gods. It is only there that a humble dryad can become a powerful matron to the grove. With the assistance of the forests of Prexus, envy and greed made its way to the mythical isle. There on the isle she found a circle of stones and a grove that would soon be her own. The dryads of the stones were gracious, the plot of evil unbeknownst. While the islands dryads basked in the splendor of tranquility, far from the chaos of the children of the gods, the keeper of envy south knowledge. Many suns would cross the clouds before such secrets would be found. The green on the island covered most of the ruins of the past. The envious dryad came to find such a place, a dwelling of a long dead seafarer. Here in a monument of a lonely hermit were placed many treasures, greatest of them all are the ones that do not sparkle. The darkened shell of a pirate's last days hid a book removed from the tombs of knowledge that hide deep beneath the island. This tome seethed arcane power to the touch. Inside the binder were words that promised great powers of growth. The powers of growth were to great for an envious dryad to ignore. The warning signs all about the hedge covered ruins went unnoticed. The sight of tormented vines clenching the throat of a lifeless corpse meant nothing to the blinded by the touch of grandeur. Within the binder were placed magical words upon ancient pages. The pages were meant to be spoken aloud, but never comprehended. What manner of soul would dare speak arcane words, not knowing what they promised? As the dryad spoke aloud words she could not comprehend, the meaning became clear. Tales of the forests of the gods became known, spells to tend the vase green above. Sprinkled within the truth was corruption. Upon reading the first few chapters of the powerful book, the dryad felt a surge of arcane energy. With this new power the dryad came to claim the circles of stones on the island and all about it. This would be hers and all others would server her as the new matron of the grove. The book removed from the ancient library was corrupted by those that first dared to interpret its wounds. Such corruption leads to the defiling of the soul of the daring reader. Curses come to those that read aloud the words of the Seeds of Corruption. As the new matron of the grove tasked her people to server her desires, she began to feel a loss of the power pulled from the magical tome. Reading the tome aloud did no good. She attempted to hide her dwindling power from her new society, but soon her prayers would be answered in death. The grove matron began to wither. A few of her new circle came to question the matron's appearance. In a fit of rage, a deadly power arose. The matron's fury was channeled into an evil force that began to siphon the powers of those that came to her aid. Where she was once powerless and withering, she was now reborn. The death of her beautiful new kingdom must occur for her to claim the power she always desired. The wisting of the grove matron's society began. Slowly, one by one, those who served the grove matron came forward to be blessed by their queen. This blessing was in truth a deadly curse that saw to the grove's corruption. What was once beautiful was now twisted and ugly. Within the defiled circle of stones a grove matron feeds off people. Her dreams of ruling over a majestic grove that would rival any other could be no more. To sustain her lust for power, her people must suffer. Such is the curse of corrupted knowledge. From the branches of Tunare, by the will of the Heartwood, I traveled across the great horizon, sent to destroy a threat greater than I found. Such knowledge could defile all that we fight to reclaim. I now know that i must remain and return this evil to the holds below. The Seeds of Corruption delivers what is promised, but the false words corrupt wishes. DO not seek this ancient knowledge. I write this tale in hopes that such corruption does not escape again. Heed the warning -- L. Ashwood. Credits